The Cobb Family
William Cobb Sr. (ca. 1730-1803)
William Cobb Sr. was born in Isle of Wight, Virginia sometime between 1730-35. In 1770, he moved to the Watauga Settlement with his wife, three children, and his father Benjamin Cobb. William built his home, Rocky Mount, between both the Holston and Watauga rivers.
William Cobb provided horses, food, supplies, and gunpowder to the Overmountain Men who were on their way to find Major Patrick Ferguson and to eventually fight the Battle of King’s Mountain in 1780.
Following the Revolutionary War, William Cobb was a land speculator and land surveyor for the soldiers who obtained land grants to pay for their service during the war. Mr. Cobb was also appointed Justice of the Peace for Washington County.
Barsheba Cobb (ca. 1730 - 1793)
Born as Barsheba Whitehead, Mrs. Cobb married William Cobb Sr. in North Carolina. She mothered three children: William Jr., Pharaoh, and Penelope. Through her children, she also had approximately 15 grandchildren.
In the year 1770, the Cobb family traveled through the North Carolina Mountains into the illegal territory known at the time as the Watauga Settlement. The modern-day cities of Elizabethton, Johnson City, Kingsport, and Piney Flats made up the Watauga Settlement.
Mrs. Cobb was said to be a gracious host of travelers and visitors who came to stay at her home by offering them food and refreshments, entertainment, sleeping space, and intelligent conversation.
